595
OFFfCE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable 'W.A. Devllr
Stste Regi8traT
:;tsts Eosrd o? lJeaLth
Austin 2, Ten8
Dear Sir:
four reoent IDtter r
oplnlon'el8to the pger II
lng with 8 Dintriot Court
dlvIdoal on your reoortlrr.
if neither method
aglotrer how to p-ro-
oourt order,.*
nt to your inquiry e8 to birth
snd if3aa~rOllOW6t
State Department of Health ohall ’
end supply to 611 reglatrerrr~:;
tom used In regimtarln@, reoord-
ing and preservIrq the returns, crt,.ln
otherwlee
oarryiug out the puTpose d thla Aot, end esak
olty end incorporated town shell print 2nd @up-
ply its local registrar, and each oounty shell
print end supply We County CleSk ~~.~lt.b
pemnsnent
reoord books, in forn e,proved by the Stats Regls-
War, for the TsoordIng of all blrtha and deeths
596
'3.A. Davis, Pe(re i3
plaaotiable
oooarrlng within thalr reapeatlve Jurladiotlona.
The State Registrar ahall prepare and leaue auoh
detailed instruotiona ss 6my be required to pso-
cure the uniform obaervanoe of lta provlalona alld
the melntenanoe of a perfect system oi re~latra-
tlon; and no other'tom6 shall be wed than those
approved by the State Dupertment d Health. Xe
shall osreruny oumlne the oertlfVioa~te8 raoelved
monthly Srom the loos1 re$latjrara~, and lf any.suoh
are lao&plete or tmastlafao~ory be shall require
6ueh further lnformtlon to be aupplled as may be
ne8easary to~.arkethe ~fmord oomplate and aatla-
fa6tory. And aU phyaloiana,midwives, lnlormanta,
or undortskerr, end all other’pereona herind:knorl-
ed&e of the faota, are hereby required 'tosupply,
upon s form provided by the State Departad? of
Health, or upon the orIgina oortlfioate, auoh lu-
iomatlon as they say poaaeaa regardlm eny birth
or deeth,~upon demend of the~Sfata Registrar la
parson, by mall, or through th& loeel regletrer;
by the name of deoedenta, and in.the oaae of births,
by the namea of rathers and mothore. + * +* V.A.O.S.,
lOiN, Artials 4477, Rule bl-a. (Onderaoorln$ ours).
Our penal statutes provifiethat reaorda are to be
kept lntaot end that the alteritp of tbe rkaords without ou-
thorlty of law 16 6 artnina offense (F. 0. 19e6, Art. UOZ);
and the atatute further deolares that the altering of reoordrs
or oertiiloatea of reoords to be a forgery (Y. C., lB85, Art.
1006). However, Vital ~tstlatlo Statutes (I?ul*51-a of Artl-
016 4477) authorize amendments to woertlfloate o? birth or
death, after ita soceptanoo for raglstretlonW. But in doing
SO, the reslstrar should not Interpolate anythlnF not in the
iustrumunt recorded et the time of the orl&ml moor&. Tbe
597
goaorebla t?.A. Davis, Page S
amendmod of the moor& should not be ma& by oresurea and
~terlineations upon the oertlfioaten, bat by annmxlng tIw
Smendmmt. that is
the oourt jud@mmt. to the orlp5,nel oer-
tiri0ete, - So that
tba whole matter wlil appear. (Rroorda,
m C. J., 619 n. 23; MO n. 68).
m, tbererore, answer roar first quartlon 9i'noa~
thet
;a, that the ohlld*a no* lhoul& not be atrloken from the birth
Sartlfloate and the new mm altt4n ia.
%a anewor rour aeoond wmatlon in the afflmntlve
and lu~~eat that sttaohad to th4 erl&ial o~rtlPioeto should
be a oertlrlad oopy of the oourt*S mder ohan&n(r tbr ohlld*a
ruma topqther with a atatmnmat in the SoUon~ or linila r
fOr a
=?ha Qay e? 10 In
Cause I90. an order wee laau~d’am; Ria-
~ ;tyc~~r~o;~
triad
I-- *
- Oorrnty, T4ra8, ohang-
FO .
*This lfataaent and 81oertirie6 o,opycb th4
oourt’a order la ettashed to the orklnal
- birth
oartifloate oi ,
l.uoomplianaawith the purpose and ori%? 01 rid
oourt 1x1 said oauaer
*On this - &Y or 8 lV-*
j ralRIl4d)
Reglatrar.w
Xn view of our ansu4r to Jroaraeoond qu48ti45, it
la not aaoeeaary for us to anzsweryour third qoSStlo&
Yours vary truly